


The Comeback

by lizwontcry



Category: The Voice (US) RPF
Genre: F/M, maybe some kissing, redemption story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 10:07:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13521999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizwontcry/pseuds/lizwontcry
Summary: Blake finds himself in need of redemption after his relationship ends and his career takes a nosedive. Gwen wants to help... and that's all. Really. She swears.





	The Comeback

**Author's Note:**

> I thought all the Shefani inspiration had left my brain, but here we are, more than 2 years later, and this came back to me. I have missed them! Thanks for reading, and I appreciate kudos and feedback!

Sometimes you have everything you've ever dreamed of, and sometimes you don't. Sometimes you claw your way from the bottom to rise to the very top, only to fall all the way back down. Shit happens, they say. And boy, did it happen to Blake Shelton.

If Blake had to pinpoint the moment he know it was all downhill from the top was when Gwen saw a random text he received. They were having dinner at a nice restaurant in Hollywood with Jen and Todd, which they rarely did anymore--the paparazzi were just too much. Blake was already in a bad mood because they must have had their picture taken a thousand times by a thousand people on the way from the valet to inside the restaurant. That was the price Blake had to pay by being in such a high profile relationship. 99% of the time, he thought it was worth it to be with Gwen. And sometimes, like the infamous night of the text, he just resented it. 

"So Blake was holding Apollo's hand while they crossed the street, and Apollo asked him some question or another--what did he ask this time, Hon?" Gwen asked him.

Blake was mid-bite of the steak he had ordered medium rare, which was actually more well-done, something else he was irritated about during that evening. He almost complained to the waiter about it, but Gwen doesn't like when she perceives he is doing something rude, and besides, she already disapproved of his choice of meal. Yep, although he still considered himself happier than he'd ever been, things weren't always easy in their relationship after almost 3 years together. The honeymoon had finally started to wear off.

"He asked why the sky is blue," Blake says after chewing his disappointing steak. 

"Oh, that's right. And what did you say?"

"I said, because God is a big fan of the Smurfs," Blake said, slightly irritated that Gwen didn't just tell Jen and Todd what he said instead of making him repeat it.

They all laughed, and that's when Blake's phone dinged. Gwen looked down at the phone and Blake instantly had a bad feeling about it, which was probably reasonable since he was doing something he knew she wouldn't like. She looked surprised, and then disappointed, and then back to normal all in the span of about three and a half seconds. 

Gwen saw the text. Blake knew she saw it. And there was nothing he could do about it. She looked at him, the pain and betrayal clear in her eyes, but she didn't say anything. Instead, they continued the conversation and Gwen ordered another bottle of wine. She was going to make him wait for this one.

The text said, _Ha ha! I cant beleive you said that! I remember that night so well you were really drunk, and yeah I remember the hot tub! wow_

It might not have been so bad if it wasn't from Miranda. Yeah, they'd been talking again for a month or two. It was never about anything important, but Blake kind of enjoyed texting her. They shared a lot of experiences together and not speaking to her for all that time was starting to bum him out. Of course, this wasn't something he shared with Gwen. She was an understanding woman, but she'd definitely consider the texts crossing a line she never had to be concerned about before. Blake did feel like he was doing something naughty every time he sent or received another text from Miranda, but maybe that was part of the appeal. Maybe he was tired of being "good" all the time. It was sort of exhausting, actually.

Gwen acted like her usual self the rest of the night, until the Uber dropped her and Blake off at the house. They went inside and greeted Betty and the rest of the animal menagerie. Blake was grateful the kids were with Gavin for a few days; he had a feeling things were about to get ugly. 

And... he was right.

Gwen sat on the couch in the living room, the one they picked out together when he moved in. She unbuckled her shoes and rubbed her big toe, something she did when her shoes had been uncomfortable the entire night. Finally she said, "So. You're talking to Miranda again."

There was no way he could deny this--she had seen the evidence with her own eyes. "Yeah. I guess I am."

"I see," Gwen said, nodding. "That's interesting." She was definitely not going to make this any easier on him--not that she should, of course. 

"It's really not a big deal," Blake started to explain. "We've just been talkin' for a bit. About nothing important. She's just... she's like an old friend."

"Oh, sure, I get it. You missed her," Gwen said, and that's it. It's the truth. Why else would he be texting Miranda? There was literally no other reason.

"I suppose I did get to missin' her a little," Blake admitted. 

"Yeah, that makes sense. From the way she treated you and how ugly your divorce was, why wouldn't you miss her?" 

"Gwen, come on, don't make this--"

"No, I will 'make it.' I have the right to be angry, Blake. This is bullshit. We've been together for three years and that's when you decide it's a good time to see what the ol' ex is up to? What is this? Is it because I don't want to get married? You want to go back in time to the woman who did marry you? Are you texting Kaynette, too? Maybe it's a race to see who will remarry you first, right?"

Blake sighed. He hated pissing Gwen off. She rarely got angry with him, but when she did, she was relentless. She went through all those years of taking Gavin's shit and she was not going to do it anymore.

"I'm sorry. I really am. I'll stop talkin' to her, okay? Right now. I'll block her number."

"It doesn't matter. You already did it. You miss her. You miss someone you used to call a 'hideous she-devil straight from the bowels of Hell.' I don't know, Blake. I don't know what to do now. This feels wrong... it feels like we're going down a bad path."

Blake sat next to her on the couch, and Gwen let him hold her hand. "I know. I messed up. But please let me make it up to you."

Gwen looked at him and he was taken aback by the rage he saw in her eyes. 

"Fine. I know you're sorry. And I will let you make it up to me... because I love you, and what we have is more important than stupid text messages to your exes. But Blake? If you do it again, or anything like it, I am out of here. I will not put up with this again."

Blake nodded. He knew that she was serious. He knew that she'd kick him out of the house, he wouldn't be able to see the kids anymore, and that wonderful life they built from the ashes of their previous relationships would be over. Not only did he not want that for himself, but he didn't want that for Gwen, either. He knew how happy they made each other and he didn't want to jeopardize that. Not for anything.

But he did anyway.

Not at first. For a long time, he did stop texting Miranda and he was on his best behavior. But something happened--his new album released in the fall of 2018 was not a hit. The first single released didn't go to number one. There were just so many other artists that were making better, more inspired albums and songs than he was, artists that wrote their own lyrics, younger and more attractive singers. It appeared that Blake's time was over. There wasn't even a warning--he went from top to bottom in record time, and nothing he did seemed to work anymore. Gwen tried to console him; after all, she'd been through the same thing before. Blake tried to get over it, he really did, but after a while, he stopped trying. And he started drinking. A lot. Too much. And he started texting. A lot. Too much. And the next time Gwen found a text, she wasn't as forgiving. Since it was a perfect storm, the Voice also decided to replace him and Adam with some new blood, and he didn't even have the one job he could depend on anymore.

It starts slow, but it ends fast.

The way things ended with Gwen was desperately ugly. One night when the kids were with Gavin, Gwen came home after a long day of recording (at least someone's career wasn't completely imploding) to witness Blake in his boxers on the couch ( _her couch_ ) and feet on the coffee table ( _her coffee table_!). He was drinking a beer and clearly texting someone. Gwen was not in the mood for any of this. Not anymore.

"Let me see your phone," she said as a greeting. It was a demand, not a question. 

"Why?" Blake said weakly. He knew he was not going to win this battle.

"Really? I have three boys and you think 'why' is a good response? Give it to me."

Blake really had no choice in the matter. He showed her the phone.

Although the text was not from Miranda, it was just as bad--maybe even worse.

 _"Hey, ran into M the other day, she said y'all hung out a few weeks ago, that's hilarious. What did y'all even talk about? You are so in trouble..."_ It was from one of Blake's old hunting buddies. Blake silently cursed the guy, although he obviously only had himself to blame.

"What... the... _fuck_?" Gwen said quietly, holding his phone up to him like he didn't already know what it said.

Blake shrugged. He had no way to defend himself, so might as well not even try.

"We hung out. When you were in New York on the Today Show."

"Oh, is that it? You hung out while I was across the country. I guess that's okay, then." By the look on Gwen's face and the way she was standing so aggressively, Blake was pretty sure it was not okay, nor would it ever be okay again.

"Gwen--"

Gwen shook her head, almost violently. "No. There is no way you can say anything that will make this better. I've put up with this crap for the last couple of months because I genuinely believed you were going to make it up to me. You haven't. You haven't even tried. I want you out of here, Blake. I'm serious."

He knew she was serious, but he just couldn't go down without a fight. He moved toward her, trying to get his phone, trying to say something, anything, that would help this situation. 

Instead, Gwen threw his phone at the wall, and they both watched as it crashed to the ground, completely destroying it. Blake understood at that moment that it was truly over, and it was literally all his fault.

"What, were you waiting until I discovered your texts on my iPad? Get the hell out of here, Blake. I'm going to Todd's. When I get back tomorrow, you better be gone."

She didn't give him the chance to respond--she just turned around and left. Five minutes, that's all it took to dissolve a relationship that once meant everything to both of them.

Blake tried to get his shit together after she kicked him out. He wrote a few songs on his own but no one was interested. He stayed with Adam and Behati for a few weeks, but it wasn't the same as when he stayed after the divorce--for one thing, Adam and Bee now had two kids to deal with and had no time or patience left for him, which he of course understood. 

So eventually, Blake acknowledged the reality of the situation and he left. Blake left Hollywood and decided to live in Nashville for a while, but even Nashville seemed to have enough of him. Nobody wanted to record with him. Nobody wanted to write for him. The issue wasn't money--he still had plenty of money. But what the hell was he supposed to do now? He couldn't sing, he couldn't be on TV, he couldn't be with Gwen or the kids, and nothing made any sense anymore.

Miranda came to visit him in Nashville. One time. They reminisced and laughed and drank way too much, but nothing happened. Even though Blake was at his absolute rock bottom, he knew that starting something up with her would be an even bigger mistake than what he did to Gwen. Miranda seemed to understand this, too, and she left him alone. That's what Blake was--alone. And he didn't know how to dig himself out of this hole he was in--so he stopped trying.

*****

**June, 2023**

Gwen is sitting at the kitchen table, writing furiously in a notebook. She loves that she can still write songs for No Doubt; she always finds it's just like riding a bike. It takes a second to remember, but then she has it down to an exact science. She's been doing it since she was a teenager, after all. It's no secret to her that some people consider her too old to be dressing like this and performing the way she does, but with each passing year, she cares less and less about what people think. All that matters are her fans, who have supported her through thick and thin. 

Kingston comes in the kitchen, and Gwen is startled yet again to how tall her 16-year-old baby has gotten. He shot up like a weed overnight, it seems like. It’s disconcerting.

“Hey, babe. What’s up?”

King shakes his head, the moody teenager as usual.

“Come on. You look like you have something on your mind. Give it up, already.”

Kingston sighs. “It's nothing."

"That's crap, King. What is it? You know you can tell me anything."

King looks doubtful, but finally says, "Okay, look, I was just talking to Blake. And I think we need to go to Nashville to see him.”

Gwen stares at her son. “You were just doing what with who now?”

“Talking to Blake. We do that sometimes. And he’s in a bad place, Mom. Like, really bad.”

"Okay, what--why are you talking to him? Why didn't I know about this? Do Zoom and Apollo talk to him, too?"

"Sometimes. You don't know everything, Mom."

Well, that's distressing, Gwen thinks. "What--never mind. Why do you think he's in a bad place?"

"He just is. He needs us, Mom. It seems like he's really sad."

“I understand, King. Things haven’t been going so well for him lately.” Which is the understatement of the year. Five years ago, they’d been so happy together, and both of their careers were going so well. Just one mistake, and everything started going downhill for him. Gwen’s heart has already broken for him. But there’s nothing she can do about it. He dug his own grave. And all those other cliches she tries to think of when she misses him so much she can barely breathe.

“Mom… you have to go check on him. He’s really depressed!”

Gwen sighs. “King, it’s not my responsibility to put him back together. He did this to himself. All he had to do was not text Miranda again. That’s it. And yet that’s exactly what he did. Everything else fell like dominoes after that. Of course I feel terrible that he’s going through some bad times, but I can’t help him.”

Kingston shakes his head. “He needs you. I think only you can help him. When I talked to him, he was drunk, and he was babbling about moving to Tokyo because it’s something you guys wanted to do together. He can’t move to Tokyo, Mom! He would not do well there.”

 _That’s the truth,_ Gwen thinks, but her heart is breaking just the same. She and Blake used to talk about moving to Japan all the time. It was her dream ever since she went for the first time on tour, but Blake had never been. Still, he knew she loved everything about the culture and would always promise to move there with her and the kids if she wanted to. He was such a romantic when he wanted to be.

“You’re right, King. He would be very confused in Japan, not to mention everyone being confused by him." Gwen considers the situation. She doesn't want to go to Nashville. And she certainly doesn't want the responsibility of bringing Blake Shelton back to life. But... he was once the love of her life. He saved her after the divorce, after all. Maybe...

"Fine… I’ll go to Nashville this weekend and check on him. DO NOT tell him that I’m coming, though. I don’t know how often you talk to him but keep that detail to yourself.”

King nods, but he looks happy--like he accomplished something. Gwen is not so excited--she has so many other things to do than glue Blake Shelton back together. After all, it’s been five years, and she’s had a few relationships since him. The unfortunate fact is that she never felt a shred of the way she loved Blake with anyone else. How do you even move on from that kind of love? She hates Blake for screwing it all up, and she makes a vow to not get emotionally involved with him again. Of course she knows that will be nearly an impossible task, but she’s five years older and wiser, a woman in her fifties, and she can’t get sucked into the drama again. 

Or so she tries to tell herself.

*****

Blake is sitting in his boxers watching season 9 of the Voice on DVD. It had been nearly eight years since he filmed that season, but it’s like it was yesterday to him. How could he forget? It was the season that he and Gwen fell in love. The season where the rest of the world found out about their relationship. The season that changed his whole life.

He laughs when he watches Gwen throw a shoe at him. They’d only been together a month or so at that point and it was all so new. That moment in time is still so clear in his head. They were both coming out of bad marriages and felt vulnerable and helpless. Almost every day, they’d find each other in their respective trailers and confide their raw emotions to each other. 

That feeling of falling in love while also being in a state of complete desperation… he will never forget it. Divorcing Miranda was tough enough, but Gwen breaking up with him was devastating. It’s been nearly five years now, and he still hasn’t picked up the pieces. Sure, there’s been a few women come and go in his life, but none of them stayed for long. They’d either see what a wreck he was and run far away, or he’d pull his “emotional basketcase” routine and just stop calling them altogether. Blake doesn’t want anybody else. He wants Gwen, and so he's alone. It's easier that way.

As the blind auditions continue and he watches as his past self slowly falls in love with Gwen, he thinks about how badly he screwed it all up. These were the days. His career was flourishing, his love life was blooming, and he was on top of the world. Even when he was devastated, he was happy. And now here he is, alone in Nashville, his career a pit of despair, and he has no idea how to get any of it back. He burned out instead of faded away.

Just as he does every day, Blake orders a pizza--a large one, with stuffed crust, and some breadsticks while he's at it. Now that he doesn't have to be on TV, he isn't exactly watching his diet anymore. When he was with Gwen, he always watched what he ate because she was so intense with her diet. Needless to say, he's gained a few pounds since then.

The doorbell rings, and Blake has a moment of excitement at being within close reach of his pizza. He briefly scans his house--it’s a garbage pit of disgust, but he doesn’t even care. Whoever is at that door knows what kind of state he’s in. He doesn’t need to hide anything. It's probably Dave, his favorite pizza guy. Dave is a big country music fan and sometimes he even comes in to chat with Blake. Blake enjoys the interruption from the misery of his days.

So when Blake answers the door, he expects to see Dave with his extra fatty pizza. Instead, he thinks he's having a hallucination. No way is Gwen Stefani at his door, looking just as amazing as he's ever seen her, still defying the laws of physics and aging. That would just be ridiculous.

"I think I'm seein' things... hold on, let me go get my glasses," Blake says, and he's about to go sit down on the ground or call 911 because he's gone into a psychotic state if he's really seeing Gwen standing there in front of him.

Instead, he feels a strong but soft hand pull him back to the door. "God, Blake, don't be so dramatic."

Well, that's definitely Gwen. He's starting to realize that this is real, and he needs to start paying attention.

Gwen looks super casual, just standing there at his front door. Her long blonde hair is in a pony tail underneath a Lakers hat, and she's wearing jeans and a black sleeveless shirt. He notices the only make-up she appears to be wearing is her signature red lipstick; she's probably trying to stay incognito. Even though five years have gone by and she's now in her fifties, she looks just as youthful as ever. Blake has a pain in his stomach as he wonders how he ever let Gwen slip away. It's obvious that she was the best thing that ever happened to him. 

"Gwen? What... how do you even know where I live?" That is Blake's first question, and he has many. But he is curious--he moved to a smaller place in Nashville once he figured out he was probably going to be alone for the rest of his miserable life.

"My son likes to talk," Gwen says, and the way she's looking at him is absolutely breaking his heart. Not because she's looking at him in disgust--that, he would understand. No, she's glancing at him like she pitys him and the mess he's gotten himself into. It makes Blake want to sink into the floor and never be seen again.

"Oh," Blake says, not knowing what else to offer in the way of conversation. He has been talking to King every now and then. He and King were close once upon a time--King loved Betty more than anyone. Betty passed away a few years ago and Blake is still too depressed to think about getting another dog.

"Come on, let's sit down and talk," Gwen says. "Do you have any tea or coffee?"

Blake shakes his head. "I got beer."

"Okay. Beer, then," Gwen says, and now Blake really knows she's taking pity on him since she only has beer on very rare occasions. 

Blake clears the empty pizza boxes and bottles of beer off his kitchen table and Gwen carefully sits down, taking in all the debris and trash, and he wishes she would say something about it but at the same time, he knows she won't until she's ready. Gwen takes her time to get to the point, which used to frustrate him but for now he's grateful.

"Blake..." Gwen begins, and then the doorbell rings again. Blake hopes it's the pizza guy and not another ex-girlfriend this time.

Blake answers the door and tips the pizza guy a little extra, hoping he doesn't see Gwen sitting at his kitchen table or the guy will have quite the story to tell. He brings the pizza in the kitchen and puts it in the oven. A few minutes ago it was all he could think about it, but now it's the furthest thing from his mind. 

"I know what this looks like," Blake says, since he sees that Gwen is at a loss for words. "It looks like I've given up on life and I've trapped myself in this small house in Nashville to get away from everything and everybody."

"That is what it looks like," Gwen says. "Are you going to tell me that's not true?"

"I can't..." Blake says, realizing how true that is. 

"So... let's start with, why aren't you in Oklahoma? All the land, the house, everything you built for yourself over the years?"

Oh, so she's getting straight to the point. Blake should have known she wasn't going to beat around the bush after all this time.

"That's the thing," Blake says sadly. "I didn't build it for _myself._ "

Now Gwen looks annoyed. "Come on, don't do that. I won't pity you, Blake, I won't do it. Don't for a second think that I don't know what you mean by that bullshit comment. My boys and I loved it out there, every second of it, and we would still be there if you kept it together. This is not my fault and I refuse to take the blame."

Blake knows he messed up. 

"I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry, Gwen. But it's true--I'm not in Oklahoma because there's too many memories there. We were going to get married at sunset on your 50th birthday. King was goin' to have his graduation party from high school. I was gonna give Apollo a horse for Christmas. I taught Zoom how to play basketball and football out in the fields. How can I live in a place with that many promises and memories?"

Gwen does not look impressed, but she at least softens her tone a bit. "I get that, I do. Which brings me back to the original point... why did this happen in the first place? You had _everything_ , Blake. And now you don't. Why? For Miranda? For the taste of alcohol? I never understood why. I wanted to... but I never did."

"I don't know. I tried seein' a therapist but that stuff just don't work on people like me," Blake says. 

"Oh, come on, don't give me that 'country folks don't believe in therapy' crap again. You told me that so many times and I don't believe you. You know I'd never force you to go, but it could help."

Blake shrugs. He wants to say "What's the point?" Because he's beyond help. He's beyond getting this thing back on track. He knows he'll be the subject of many "Where are they now" articles  
in the future and he's fine with that. Obviously he used to care about the damage to his reputation. Being on top and sinking all the way to the bottom is not easy, but he did it, and in record time, too. Gwen doesn't get that. She's scraped herself off the floor to do everything in her power to rise as far as she has later in her career, and she would not understand giving up. So he doesn't tell her that's exactly what he's done.

Gwen sighs. "I didn't come here for answers. I know you don't have any."

"Then why _are_ you here?" Blake says too quickly. It's not that he isn't completely thrilled and overwhelmed that she came to see him, but seeing her just reminds him of the past, and how badly he messed everything up.

"I want to help," Gwen says quietly, like she's ashamed or something. "Despite how angry I was when you went off the rails and ended the good thing we had going... I want to help."

Blake supresses the urge to ask why. She must have her reasons, and besides, she's clearly not in the mood for his "woe is me" drama today. 

"I appreciate that, Gwen. What exactly do you have in mind?"

"Well, I talked to some people before I came over today. Your former agent, my manager, some of your old producers, songwriters, your old friends. Adam. Luke. Everyone wants to help you. You haven't been forgotten, Blake. I know it might seem that way but everyone loves a good comeback story."

"But I already did that," Blake says. "After Miranda. With you."

Gwen shakes her head. "No. That was different... most of your fans were obviously sympathetic about the divorce, and only some of them were angry that you moved on with me. You've been gone for _years,_ Blake. Your fans are going to embrace you. They are there for you when you're ready, and if I were you, I'd be ready now. Don't wait too long or most of them _will_ move on."

He knows she's right. More than that, Gwen is offering him something incredible--a chance. Of course he tried to drag himself back into the spotlight before he locked himself inside of Nashville, but maybe now it's time to try again. Maybe his fans really are ready for redemption. Ah, he'd forgotten what it feels like for Gwen Stefani to believe in him, to have faith in him, despite Blake feeling like he doesn't deserve it. 

"Well... where would we start?" Blake asks timidly. He knows he owes Gwen everything for making this happen for him. Everyone else had given up a long time ago.

"We start by cleaning up this disaster of a house," Gwen says, smiling slightly. "And then you'll call some people and see what they have planned for you. It won't be overnight, but if you put in the work, I think you'll be happy with the results. But... you have to be ready. You have to stop drinking so much. You have to be willing to work and unburn those bridges you blew up on your way out. I'll help as much as I can."

"You promise?" Blake asks, hating himself for saying something so dumb, but needing her to assure him, anyway. He can't do this without her. Even if he never gets to kiss those ruby red lips again, he needs her to promise.

Gwen looks sad when she says, "Of course I promise." But it's that look on her face that propels Blake to say, "Okay. Let's do it." Because he never wants to disappoint her again.

Before giving Blake a trash bag and telling him to get going, Gwen has a beer and even a piece of pizza with him. For a few minutes, it's just like old times. Gwen catches Blake up on what the boys are doing, and he fills her in about his mom and the rest of his family. Blake desperately wants to share a knowing glance or a look that lasts just a little too long, but Gwen is not there. She's moved on. He knows if he's going to turn things around, he has to do it without the expectation of Gwen falling back in love with him. That life is over. It's time for a new era, and Blake has to embrace it.

*****

It's definitely not an easy road, but slowly, Blake begins to come back to life.

It starts that day with the pizza and beer. Gwen spends the night in a hotel, and comes back to Blake's the next day. They spend hours calling everyone who has ever worked with Blake and/or Gwen, and there are indeed a lot of people who want to help him reestablish his career. 

"Why weren't they helpin' me before?" Blake eventually asks after a few successful calls. "It doesn't make sense. They let me fall, why are they helpin' me back up?"

"You know as well as I do how the industry works," Gwen says. "They kick you while you're down and then claim they picked you up when you needed them the most. It's a fickle business." 

Gwen has been through it all before. So she helps Blake as much as she can without getting emotionally involved or giving him the impression that this is anything more than it is. It's hard, of course--first of all, he still has those blue eyes of his, which she always found irresistible. Even though the last five years have not been kind to him, Blake still has the same personality. He still charms everyone he meets, and when Gwen accompanies him to meetings in Los Angeles, he still makes everyone laugh and smile just as much as before. But some of it, Gwen knows, is a performance. Gwen feels like she knows him--or knew him--well enough to understand how much it takes out of him to put on a play for everybody he encounters, when most of the time he just wants to go home and eat some fried chicken while watching reruns of Hee Haw.

One of the first steps Blake takes for his comeback attempt is going on the Tonight Show. He always has a good time with Jimmy, and this isn't an exception. Jimmy welcomes him back with open arms and Blake wins the crowd over, as usual. Gwen watches from backstage and couldn't help but smile the whole time. She is so proud of how Blake is embracing this second chance. And she's kind of proud of herself, also, for putting it into motion. 

Blake's first new single that he writes with some of his old producers and writers is called "Smokey Mountains," which is, of course, a love song. He writes the majority of it, and takes some of Gwen's feedback for it, too. It's not an instant hit, but once he performs it on the Grammys, it blows up overnight. He'd forgotten what it feels like to have a number one single--it feels damn good, is what it feels like.

Gwen tries so hard to keep herself detached, but she's losing ground with every passing day as they spend more time together. 

Over lunch one day, Gwen is having a salad, Blake is eating a steak, and they're sharing the French fries. This is something so familiar, Gwen doesn't know if it's the present or six years in the past. This is what truly sucks about the situation--Blake hurt Gwen, after she swore she'd never let anyone screw her around like Gavin did so blatantly. Blake fucked up. And yet somehow, Gwen felt like she had a responsibility to help him, and so she did. Gwen knows Blake appreciates everything she's done to help him, and she also happens to know that he would do anything for her in return. It's absolutely infuriating to her how she is nearly willing to forget how much pain he caused her just to be with him again. Of course she's considering it. He was the love of her life once upon a time. But for now, she's trying to stay strong. His blue eyes will not win. Not this time.

Between bites of (medium rare) steak, Blake says, "Remember how much fun we used to have singin' the duets together? And how it used to drive the audiences nuts?"

Gwen smiles and nods. "Of course. Those were the best times. I always felt so in my element when we sang together."

"Me too," Blake says softly. Gwen knows that voice... it's his mushy voice, and she's dreading what he's going to say next because it's going to be something sweet.

"You know... if we try this thing again, there is nothing in the world I wouldn't do to show you how sorry I am," Blake says. See? Gwen called it. "I will never hurt you again, Gwen. Never. Not in this lifetime. Not in the next lifetime. I just... want you to know that."

"I know you think that," Gwen says. "And I believe you mean it. But you thought that last time around, too. You never _mean_ to do it. But what if you get bored or anxious or something? I can't handle it, Blake. And I don't deserve it."

Blake nods, looking disappointed but not surprised. The conversation is over, and they move on to talking about King starting to look at colleges and Apollo starting third grade and hating his teacher. 

As the months go by, Gwen distances herself more and more from Blake. He's doing just fine on his own, and his new album is soaring through the airwaves. He goes on tour, and there's rumors he's dating every female country music star who isn't already married. They text each other every couple of days, and Gwen is happy that he's happy. And not at all wistful at what could have been. 

Almost a year after Gwen came to see Blake in his dark, depressing hole of a house, he calls her one day and asks her for a favor.

"Of course," Gwen says, as usual slightly annoyed with herself that she'll jump at any chance to see Blake again.

"I'm playin' a show in Anaheim next week. I know that's your people. Can you come and sing the duet with me?"

Gwen chuckles. "Why, is that something your manager asked you to do? To get those California hippies to like you a little more."

"Nah," Blake says, sounding a little hurt, actually. "It's my idea. I think it'll be fun. But you don't have to if--"

"Sure. Yes, of course I will," Gwen says. She just finished a small No Doubt tour and is taking a break before starting whatever happens to come next. Lately, she's gotten a few calls about being in movies or TV shows. Since she's always enjoyed her small roles as an actress, she's thinking about doing it. It could be fun.

"Oh, good, thank you, darlin'," Blake says, and Gwen laughs. "You still remember the words?"

"How could I forget?" Gwen replies. How could she forget any of it?

*****

Everyone she knows is at the show in Anaheim. It's a real homecoming, and Gwen loves it. She jokes around with Blake backstage, and it feels like home.

"You look... good," Blake says, giving her a look she hasn't seen from him in years. She _does_ look good; she can still pull off the half-shirts and skin-tight leather pants. In any case, the way he's looking at her makes her feel a certain kind of way. A way she's missed more than anything over the years, and she knows all the work she's put into not falling back in love will be wasted. Well, at least she tried.

"You do, too," Gwen says, and he does, indeed. He's lost the extra weight he gained after too much pizza and beer, and he's wearing a suit instead of his old tractor regalia. His eyes are just as blue as ever. Gwen kisses his cheek before they go on stage together, and he winks at her.

The crowd shrieks with utter joy upon seeing Gwen join Blake onstage. They sing "Go Ahead and Break My Heart" for the first time in seven years together, and Gwen does not try to stop the emotions from taking her over. They wrote this song together when they first fell in love; it's about that feeling of not wanting to get hurt, or be the one who hurts. It's about putting the past behind them and finding something new together. It's about healing, and Gwen is ready to heal.

After the crowd erupts in raucous screaming and fits of applause, they go backstage, holding hands, and laugh. Gwen pulls Blake closer to her and kisses him. It's not a polite or friendly kiss. It's a kiss with a promise. She knows this may be a bad decision, but Gwen can't help it. Blake has made a comeback in his career, and he has also come back to her. Gwen believes in fate and faith and love and God, and Blake represents all those things to her.

When the show is over, Blake and Gwen walk outside to a stunning California sunset. They regard each other carefully, wondering what to say, pondering what to do. Instead of saying anything, Gwen kisses him again. This time it's less of a promise and more of a sexy dare. That is not something Gwen has forgotten about--she and Blake have some making up for lost time to do, in and out of the bedroom.

"Don't fuck this up," Gwen whispers in his ear after they come up for air from the kiss. He squeezes her hand in response and she knows he'll make it up to her every day in new and different ways. She's looking forward to it. 

Sometimes you have everything you've ever dreamed of.


End file.
